Windows Through Time
by Belle Walker
Summary: An alternate CSI universe, from end to beginning and back again. Contains major character death. Originally written 2003.
1. The Substitute Parent — Year 2009

**The Substitute Parent — Year 2009**

"Tell me about Mommy."

Nick regarded the 6-year-old girl sitting on his lap with a serious expression. "What do you want to know?"

The little girl fingered the soft cotton sleeve of Nick's t-shirt before looking up at him with expressive blue eyes. "I can't remember her. What was she like?"

Nick took a deep breath. This subject was never easy for him, but he knew it was vitally important to the child he was raising. "Your mommy was the most wonderful person I ever knew," he answered honestly. "Beautiful and sweet. And smart."

He swallowed back the tears that threatened to come forth. He smiled and playfully ruffled the little girl's dark brown hair. "So smart. And she loved you so very much."

April was silent for a moment, and Nick found his thoughts wandering.

One of the last times he'd seen Sara, she had brought 3-year-old April to the CSI lab to show her off for the thousandth time. She was such a proud mother, with such a beautiful little daughter. April was loved by everyone at the Crime Lab.

"What about Daddy?" The sweet little voice broke into his thoughts.

Nick reached a hand up and smoothed her hair, then cuddled her just a little bit closer to his heart. "Your daddy was so much like your mommy. Kind and gentle. Smartest man I ever knew. I learned a lot from him."

Suddenly another memory came to Nick's mind. The vision of Grissom swinging his blue-eyed little girl in the air, then wrapping an arm around a smiling Sara.

"He loved you and your mommy more than life itself."

Nick hadn't even realized he was teary-eyed until April's small hand reached up and wiped gently at his face.

"Tell me how I came to live with you," the child requested in a soft voice.

"You know that part already," Nick answered gently with an affectionate smile.

"Tell me again."

He took another deep breath. "I had to fight to get you. The courts wanted to put you in foster care after the accident. But I just couldn't let them do that. You were just too special for that."

Nick caressed the little girl's cheek with a slightly trembling finger. "I fought those judges for a long time. Mommy's brother, your Uncle Jerry, helped me. We fought so hard for you. Then finally, one day, my wish came true. They said I could adopt you."

"And now I'm here," April concluded with a cute little gap-toothed grin.

Nick returned her smile. "And now you're here," he agreed. Glancing at the clock, he added, "And it's bedtime."

April immediately pouted. "I don't _wanna_ go to bed — I wanna stay up!"

Nick held back a chuckle at her adorable pout, and tried to be stern. "April Marie Grissom, you have been up much too late already. Even if you don't sleep, you still need to go to bed."

April rolled her eyes in true Sidle fashion. "Oh-_kay_."

She squealed in glee as Nick stood and swooped her in the air like an airplane.

As they approached the stairs that led to April's bedroom, Nick's eyes lingered on two large framed photos hanging side by side on his wall. His favorite pictures.

The one on the left showed Warrick, Catherine, Sara, Grissom and himself, all lounging in the CSI break room. It was a candid photo taken by Jim Brass, and it captured the warm atmosphere of their makeshift family.

The portrait on the right was much fancier. A professional family portrait of Sara, Grissom, and baby April. Nick had never known a happier little family.

Nick straightened the frame of the portrait on the right just slightly, and resumed his trip up the stairs.

April wrapped her small arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I love you, Uncle Nicky."

"I love you too, sweetheart."


	2. The Custody Battle — Year 2006

**The Custody Battle — Year 2006**

Nick turned off his alarm and stumbled into the bathroom to take a long, hot shower. He stared at the bar of soap in his hand, fantasizing that the suds would magically wash away his grief.

"It kills your germs, but it doesn't kill your pain," he murmured to himself, spreading the rich lather over his arms.

He methodically finished his shower, got dressed, and prepared himself for yet another day of the endless uphill battle he was fighting.

"Hey," Catherine said softly, placing a cup of hot coffee on the break room table in front of Nick.

"Hi," Nick answered without emotion.

Catherine shot a worried glance to Warrick and Greg.

Warrick offered her a half-smile in return, along with a helpless shrug of his shoulder.

Greg was a bit braver than Warrick. "How's your, uh, court thing going, Nick?" he asked tentatively.

Nick shook his head sadly. "It's been four months, and they _still_ won't let me have custody of April. They'll gladly hand her over to a blood relative, but not to me."

"It wasn't right for Child Services to take her in the first place," Catherine retorted vehemently. She knew all too well what it was like to deal with those people, having been wrongfully turned in once by her own now-deceased ex-husband.

"I've failed Sara and Grissom," Nick whispered, near tears. "I promised I'd take care of April, but I've failed them!"

"No, you haven't," Catherine replied firmly but kindly, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "The only way you could fail is if you give up completely."

Nick took a tasteless sip of the coffee Catherine had given him. "They put her in temporary foster care for the time being. Which doesn't make any sense, really...because April isn't related to _them,_ either."

Greg forced a smile. "At least she's being cared for."

"What about Sara's long-lost brother? April's only known living relative?" Warrick wanted to know. "Are they any closer to tracking him down yet?"

"They claim they're making a diligent effort, but I'm not sure I believe it," Nick answered. "Brass is still pulling strings with those precious few reliable connections _he_ has, but it's been so long that I'm afraid to even hope he's found anything at this point."

"I'm sure he's close to finding _something_," Greg offered weakly, though not sure at all.

No one else knew what to say about the situation.

Nick solemnly finished his coffee and was about to stand up and rinse his cup in the sink when Police Captain Jim Brass burst through the break room doors.

With a wide grin, Brass slapped a computer printout down on the table in front of Nick. "Jerry Andrew Sidle," he exclaimed. "Part-time bartender up in Reno . I've got his photo, address, phone number, email—_everything_."

Catherine gaped at him in disbelief. "The guy has been in Nevada this whole time?"

"For the past eight years, actually," Brass confirmed. "This guy was pretty hard to get to—it's no wonder Child Services couldn't find him."

"They probably gave up after just a few tries," Warrick remarked softly.

Greg let out a whoop and slapped Nick on the shoulder. "I knew we could count on Brass!"

Nick barely heard them. He stared at the white sheet of paper, almost afraid it was simply a mirage that would vanish if he made a move toward it. "You found him," he whispered in shock.

Snapping out of his stupor, he snatched up the paper, hurriedly dialing the phone number listed on the printout.

* * *

"My sister and I have never had any kind of close relationship," Jerry Sidle regretfully told Nick. "I think the last time I talked to her must have been at least ten years ago. Until I got your phone call yesterday, I didn't even know she'd gotten married and had a kid."

Unsure how to reply to that, Nick kept silent, offering a mere sympathetic smile.

Jerry picked at a corner of the red paper label on his beer bottle, a slight frown marring his otherwise handsome features. "Can you just tell me one thing, Mr. Stokes?"

"Of course," Nick replied.

Jerry chewed his bottom lip a moment before finally asking softly, "Was Sara happy with her life?"

Nick couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Yeah, she was happy. Deliriously happy. She loved her career...but much more than that, she loved her family."

Jerry's anxious expression softened considerably at Nick's answer. "Good. I'm glad to know she was happy. God knows the majority of people on this planet aren't. Myself, included."

"When we lost Sara and Grissom, I promised them that I would take care of their daughter," Nick told him. "You have a chance to help me keep that promise. Sara would have been happy to know you helped...and I think it would make _you_ happy, too."

"What would I have to do?" Jerry asked curiously.

"The first thing is to prove to the courts that you are April's relative," Nick responded, feeling more comfortable with the facts than he had with the personal aspects. "A simple blood test should be enough for that part."

"And I'd also have to prove that I'm in no position whatsoever to raise a kid, right?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah. And then...if we work on it together, maybe we could convince a judge that April would have the best kind of life possible under my permanent care."

"You really do care about that kid, don't you?" Jerry asked with a lopsided grin.

"I love her like she was my own," Nick answered truthfully. "April's been a constant part of my life even before she was born. Her parents were two of the best friends I've ever had."

Jerry silently digested all this new information concerning his estranged sister and her family. It was a lot to take in, and he appreciated the seriousness of the matter. He took a small sip from his beer bottle, deep in thought.

Nick waited for the man's answer, his nervous anticipation making him feel quite ill.

Finally, Jerry came to a decision and solemnly met Nick's anxious gaze. "I'll help you any way I can."

* * *

Three more weighty months passed, and the overwhelming stress of the custody battle was taking a harsh toll on Nick's emotions.

Little by little, he and Jerry had been making slow but steady progress in the daunting mission of convincing judges and child-services advocates of little April's best interests.

With a painful migraine threatening to consume him, Nick shuffled dejectedly into his bedroom, throwing himself face-down on the bed. He didn't even have the energy to kick his shoes off.

Thinking of the small Grissom family that he hadn't seen in far too long—two members of which no one would ever see again—Nick squeezed his eyes shut against the impending tears of sorrow.

Rolling over onto his back, he resignedly surrendered to the sleep that soon overtook him.

Nick's sleep was far from restful, for he tossed and turned in his bed, his unforgettable memories making him relive the catastrophic events of that one fateful night that he had lost two of his best friends.

_"Take care of April, Nicky," Sara pleaded, knowing she was fading away fast. "Please...promise me you'll take care of my little girl?"_

_Nick's heart was shattering. His best friend lay dying in the hospital room and he couldn't do a single thing to help her. _

_"I promise, Sara," he answered, desperately clutching Sara's frighteningly cold hand and not wanting to ever let it go. "I promise!" _

_With her free hand, Sara reached up and gently touched Nick's cheek. "Goodbye, Nick," she whispered, closing her eyes and breathing her last breath._

_"No!" Nick gasped. "No! Sara!" Violent sobs racked his body, waterfalls of tears blinding his vision as his legs gave way beneath him. _

_The high-pitched wail of the flatline pierced through his eardrums and stabbed at his heart. He couldn't breathe; the air in his lungs was suffocating him._

_Nick was vaguely aware of icy hands grasping at his arms. They pulled him away from the room where the woman lay so still and so peaceful on the sterile white sheets. _

_He was brought into the hallway, where he collapsed into a chair that someone hurriedly pulled towards him._

_He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes—a subconscious attempt to block out the devastating horrors of his rapidly crumbling world._

_He wished he could just curl up and die. _

_Someone gently pulled his hands away from his eyes, and Catherine's deathly pale, tear-streaked face came halfway into focus._

_"She's gone," Nick whispered hoarsely. His throat went dry and he coughed a few times before he was able to speak again. "Sara...she couldn't live without Grissom...we lost him two hours ago, and she...she just couldn't handle it!"_

_Catherine swallowed the lump in her throat and wrapped her arms around Nick's shoulders, cradling him in a motherly embrace._

_Nick cried against Catherine's shoulder until he didn't have any tears left to cry. _

_Their world was maliciously ripped apart —all because of one drunk driver._

_Nick shifted in Catherine's embrace and gathered enough presence of mind to ask where April was._

_"She's with Warrick and Lindsey," Catherine answered softly. "They're all in the waiting room right now."_

_Nick squeezed his eyes shut against the pain in his head and in his heart. "She's never going to see them again."_

_Silent tears flowed down Catherine's cheeks once more as she thought of the sweet little blue-eyed girl she and Warrick had been babysitting. "It's a miracle she wasn't with them tonight."_

_"She's only three years old, Catherine. She's too young to lose her family!"_

_"Shhh..." Catherine tightened her hold on Nick, rocking him gently. "Let's go see her, okay?" she suggested in a soothing whisper. "Let's go see April. Okay? "_

_Nick nodded, pressing his trembling lips together. He wiped futilely at his eyes in an attempt to resemble the Nicholas Stokes that everyone knew. _

_He felt hollow inside; empty._

_As empty as Sara's eyes had looked when she learned of Grissom's fate._

_Nick blindly followed Catherine through the corridors and stopped in the waiting room._

_Three-year-old April jumped off Warrick's lap and ran to her favorite uncle. "Up! I want up!" she demanded, raising small arms to Nick. _

_Nick scooped the child into his arms, holding her close like she was his lifeline._

_"Don't cry," April said in her soft child voice. She wrapped her arms around Nick's neck and kissed his tear-streaked cheek. "Mommy says a kiss always makes it better."_

Nick jerked awake in a cold sweat, a loud ringing echoing in his ears.

He opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the bright sunlight that streamed in through the window. He shook the fuzz from his head but the ringing persisted.

"Duh," he said to himself upon realizing it was his cell phone buzzing away on the nightstand.

He flipped the cover open. "Nick Stokes."

"Mr. Stokes, this is Mariette James with Child Services. If it's feasible, I would like for us to get started right away on your paperwork to adopt Miss April Grissom."


	3. The Baby Girl — Year 2003

**The Baby Girl — Year 2003**

Nick gently shifted the sleepy-eyed infant in his arms and looked up at Sara. "You know, if I hadn't seen you carry this little sweetheart for nine months, I'd swear you were never pregnant."

Sara put the last dirty plate in the dishwasher and turned to face Nick where he sat at her kitchen table. "Was that supposed to be a compliment of some sort, Nicky?" Sara raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip. The wedding band on her finger glinted bright and strong in the sunlight.

With a quick, teasing grin and a shrug of his shoulder, Nick explained his comment. "Well, I'm just saying that you've been eating everything in sight for the past...what, six months?"

"Yeah? So?"

"So where did it all go?" Nick slyly looked Sara up and down. "You barely gained five pounds. I thought women were supposed to get _fat_ when they're pregnant."

Sara didn't reply immediately, because just at that moment, Grissom came in through the back kitchen door.

"Hey," he said with a smile, wrapping himself around Sara from behind.

Sara leaned back into her husband, giving him a sideways glance. "I guess you could say I found a few ways to keep active," she replied in answer to Nick's question.

Nick, who had been staring at Grissom curiously, raised an eyebrow at them both. "Okay, that's _really_ more than I wanted to know."

"Hey, you asked!" Sara retorted with a grin.

"Hmm." Nick stood up with the half-asleep baby girl cradled in his arms. "Well, my brand-new little niece and I are gonna go sit on the front porch. Is that okay with mommy and daddy?"

"Sure," Grissom and Sara answered together.

Nick smiled down at April. "You can help Uncle Nick spy on your neighbors."

"Already teaching my daughter to be nosy, Nick?" Grissom said with a slight smirk.

"Hey, it runs in the family. I'm just giving her a head start," Nick teased.

Sara suppressed a smile and shook her finger at Nick. "If you weren't holding my kid, you'd be in a headlock right now."

"Oooh...in that case, I'm never putting her down," Nick said with a laugh as he sauntered into the living room. He whispered to the baby girl, "A word of advice: don't ever get on your mommy's bad side. She's got a temper."

Grissom pressed a little kiss into Sara's hair as they watched Nick retreat out onto the front porch.

Sara turned around in his arms, putting her fingers into his hair. "I knew it," she said smugly. "I _knew_ you couldn't leave it alone."

Grissom shrugged his shoulders and gave Sara a half-smile. He pulled her closer with one arm, and reached his other hand up to his freshly dyed brown hair. "Hey, just because I'm an old dad, doesn't mean I have to look like one."

Sara cupped his face with both hands. "You're not an old dad, Griss." She brought her face up to his and stole a kiss. "You're a brand-new one."

Grissom smiled down at her, wrapping both arms firmly around her waist. He stole a kiss back from Sara, his tongue teasing her bottom lip. "Mmm." Nearly a whole minute later, he broke the kiss and gave Sara an expectant look. "Well?"

Sara pretended to scrutinize his hair. She narrowed her eyes and thought for a moment. With a smile, she finally answered, "You know I like it."


	4. The First Kiss — Year 2001

**The First Kiss — Year 2001**

Sara wasn't entirely sure about Nick Stokes' sanity, organizing a pool party at the end of April. The warmer months of June or July would have been ideal…but _April?_ Sure, the swimming pool was heated, but still…

Sara shrugged. Whatever. She figured she was probably just as crazy, showing up at the party anyway when she really hadn't intended to.

After several lousy attempts at conversation with people she barely knew from the Day Shift, Sara eventually joined her fellow Night Shift colleagues in the swimming pool.

Catherine was tossing a football around in the water with the guys, and she threw it to Sara with a grin.

Sara sent the ball to Nick, who spiraled it to Warrick, who aimed it at Grissom.

Sara tried to intercept, but missed the ball by just a few inches.

Grissom caught her around the waist with one arm, and caught the football with his other hand. "Cheater," he playfully accused.

"Am not." Sara grabbed the ball from his hand, throwing it to Catherine.

Catherine caught the football, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Grissom was taking his sweet time letting go of Sara.

His fingers lingered at her side. But Sara didn't make any big effort to move away.

Grissom saw the football coming towards him again, and finally let go of Sara to avoid pulling her down when he lunged to the side to catch the ball.

They all built up quick appetites, eventually leaving the swimming pool and football behind. They each dried off, dressed in their outer clothes, and swarmed the barbecue where Greg Sanders was grilling hot dogs.

Carrying paper plates piled high with hot dogs and potato chips and other things, Sara, Catherine, Grissom, Nick and Warrick sat in the sprouting grass to eat.

As always, conversation fizzled out soon after the food disappeared. Sara left the small circle of friends briefly to get another can of Pepsi, and returned to find only Grissom still there.

She stood over him as he lay flat on his back in the grass with his eyes closed and arms folded behind his head. Grinning to herself, she poked him with her toe. "You dead?"

"Yup. Death by heartburn."

She wrinkled her nose. "That's not fun."

"Nope."

Feeling mischievous, Sara picked a long blade of green grass, knelt behind Grissom's head, and tickled his nose with it.

Grissom scrunched up his tickled nose and opened an eye, looking up at her, upside down. "Troublemaker."

"I'm bored," Sara gave excuse.

"Go mingle," Grissom suggested, closing his eyes again.

Sara looked toward the group of other visitors gathered around the table of food. Most of them were the day-shift workers she'd tried to talk with earlier. She certainly didn't feel comfortable enough to strike up meaningless conversation with them again.

The sun was going down quickly, and Greg and Nick were pulling together the makings of a bonfire.

Sara watched for a while, then decided to take another dip in the pool. It was finally empty now, much how Sara preferred it when she swam.

Grissom's eyes opened and he looked up at her. "Are you sure? It's getting dark."

"Darkness never hurt anyone," Sara answered lightly.

"No, but _things_ in the dark hurt people. Besides, you shouldn't swim alone," Grissom pointed out. "Someone else should be there in case you get injured and need help."

She shrugged. "Then come with me."

"Sara—"

"With or without you, Grissom, I'm going swimming."

With an inward sigh at Sara's stubbornness, Grissom got up and followed her to the pool.

At least there were fluorescent lights illuminating the water along all the edges and bottom of the pool. Grissom felt a little better, knowing Sara wouldn't be swimming in complete darkness.

She stood with her back to him as she removed her sweater and tank top and jeans, dropping them once more into a lounge chair along with her sandals.

She gingerly stepped down the wet tile steps, careful not to slip. The water had grown a bit chilly since the sun went down, but Sara didn't really mind that much.

She swam to where Grissom still stood at the edge, rested her arms on the tile rim and looked up at him. "What's the matter? Don't wanna get wet?" she teased.

Grissom teased back, "You might try to drown me."

Sara laughed. "There are much easier ways to off you than drowning. Come on," she urged with a smile.

Grissom debated this for a moment longer, finally tossing his sandals next to hers and stripping off his shirt. He dipped a foot into the water. "It's really cold."

"You'll get used to it."

"Get hypothermia, you mean," Grissom retorted, stepping into the pool. Goosebumps tickled the surface of his legs and prickled up to his arms as he swam the length of the pool and back again.

"You're graceful," Sara complimented, circling him slowly in the water.

"Thank you." Grissom followed her movements with his eyes. "So are you."

"I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer when I was a kid," Sara told him for no particular reason. "I even joined the swim team in Junior High."

"What happened?"

Sara leaned back into the water and stretched her legs out in front of her, floating on her back. "I never had the lungs for it. I eventually quit the team."

"That's a good thing," Grissom answered.

Sara's feet connected with the pool floor again. "Why? I'm not a good enough swimmer?"

"No, no, you're a fine swimmer," Grissom quickly amended. "It's just that if you were a swimmer in the Olympics, you wouldn't be a CSI. And I never would have had the privilege of knowing you."

Sara stared into the blue eyes that sparkled back at her. "Well...thank you. I think that's one of the nicest things anybody has ever said to me." She began slowly circling him again, going in the opposite direction as before. "So, what did _you_ want to be when you were a kid? Besides a scientist, I mean."

Grissom shyly avoided her eyes. "You don't really want to know."

"Yes I do. Come on, what was your childish ambition?"

Grissom looked into Sara's mischievous brown eyes. He finally admitted, "I wanted to be a stunt driver."

"A stunt driver?"

"Yeah. You know, in action movies where the car chases have about ten police cars and one bad guy in a really great sports car? I always wanted to be that one guy."

"Aha! The truth comes out!" Sara teased. "Gil Grissom wants to be the bad guy!"

"Not the bad guy," Grissom corrected with a laugh. "Just the stunt driver."

"What's the difference?" Sara challenged, playfully splashing water at him.

"There's a _world_ of difference!" Grissom declared, splashing the water right back at her.

"Well it's a good thing you're _not_ the bad guy."

"Yeah? Why?"

With a grin, Sara replied, "Because then I'd have to catch you and put you in jail."

"There's just one problem with that," Grissom stated. "You're not a cop, therefore you couldn't actually arrest me."

Sara rolled her eyes. "A minor detail." She grinned again. "Just wait till I tell Nicky and Warrick about your dirty little secret."

Grissom gasped in mock fear. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh wouldn't I?" Sara raised an eyebrow at him.

Narrowing his eyes, Grissom lunged at her without warning.

"Ack!" Sara ducked out of his reach.

He chased her through the water.

Sara shrieked; Grissom laughed; they both splashed at each other.

Then suddenly they stopped.

Grissom's arms had found their way around Sara's waist, and her arms had somehow gotten around his neck.

They stared at each other, separated by a few mere inches.

Sara was mesmerized by those baby blue eyes gazing at her.

Grissom was captivated by the moonlight filtering through Sara's hair.

She dared not breathe.

His eyes flickered from her eyes to her mouth, and back to her eyes. His hand on her back gently nudged her closer, and she tightened her arms just barely around his neck.

Their lips were just a hair's breadth away—

_"__Woo-hoo!"_ A whoop and minor explosion startled them, and the moment was lost.

Sara pulled back slightly and looked down, away from Grissom's eyes. With a nervous exhale, she removed her arms from his neck.

Disappointed, he released his hold on her.

Moving away from each other, they turned to see what the shouting had been for.

Sara gave Grissom a half-smile. "Somebody threw firecrackers on the bonfire."

Grissom frowned. "That's illegal."

"Hey, tell them." Sara swam past him to the tile steps and exited the pool. She dried off with a towel and shivered back into her jeans, tank top and sweater.

Grissom dried off, too, and dressed quickly. He hooked his fingers around the crook of Sara's elbow, then let his hand slide down her arm to link with her fingers. "Let's go watch the bonfire."

They settled side by side on the picnic bench facing the fire. Shoulders and arms touching, they shared a comfortable silence.

A soft breeze blew, causing Sara to pull her sweater around herself and lean into Grissom's warm side.

"Well, it _is_ only the end of April," Grissom chuckled at her. "Not exactly warm enough to go swimming, even in a heated pool."

"So, keep me warm," Sara returned lightly.

"There's a blanket in my car."

"Car's too far away."

"No, it's not," he argued with a smile. "But I guess if you're going to be stubborn about it…"

Grissom moved his arm across the back of her shoulders, his fingers resting lightly on her upper arm. An experiment, really, to see if she'd allow it.

She allowed it, though she was definitely surprised, even after that almost-kiss in the pool.

She gave a little smile. "This could work."

He smiled back, pleased. It had taken nearly all his nerve to make a move like that.

His gaze focused ever so briefly on her lips before coming back to her pretty brown eyes.

She was so near he could almost taste those lips—

Another firecracker exploded.

"_Who_ keeps _doing_ that?" Grissom growled.

Sara looked, immediately catching sight of the culprit. "It's Greg. He just threw another."

_Crack!_

Grissom glared in Greg's direction.

Sara grinned, slipping her hand into his. "Let's go get that blanket."

They crossed to the grassy lot where all the cars were parked, weaving around to Grissom's vehicle.

Sara didn't really want the blanket, and Grissom somehow knew it was just an excuse to get away from the noise.

The distance between them closed again.

And a loud, colorful crackle once more drove them apart.

"Excuse me while I murder Greg," Grissom said in extreme annoyance.

Sara couldn't help but laugh at their situation. "Just kiss me, Griss," she said, grasping the front of his shirt and pulling him towards her.

Grissom needed no further prompting.

Sara slid her arms around his neck as he pulled her against him.

They finally shared a kiss in the cool April air.

He wrapped both arms around Sara's waist as he deepened the kiss and pressed her back against the car.

Voices floated toward them. The bonfire was dying out now and everybody else was beginning to leave.

"Mmm. People are coming," Sara mumbled against Grissom's lips.

"Ignore them," Grissom mumbled back.


	5. The Graduate — Year 2021

**The Graduate — Year 2021**

"I can honestly say I would not be here today if it weren't for all the very special people in my life," eighteen-year-old April Marie Grissom said with a smile.

She adjusted her graduation cap on her dark curly hair and continued her valedictorian speech. "I have had influences from many people throughout my life. A few were bad, I admit, but most of them were good."

She quietly cleared her dry throat. "I am thankful every day for the friends who stood by me in times of trial…and my Mom and Dad, who even in their absence helped to shape who I am today."

April blinked back the tears in her bright blue eyes. "But most of all, I am grateful for my two beloved uncles — who both lovingly put their own lives on hold for a time so that I, myself, would have a proper chance at life."

April made eye contact with first with Nick, and then with Jerry as she made this statement, and couldn't help but give them both a gap-toothed smile.

"A wise man once said, 'Keep in mind your purpose in life, and you will never be lost. Doing what you like is freedom, but liking what you do is happiness'." April chuckled softly. "Words of wisdom from my Uncle Jerry...and let me tell you — I hear those words just about every single day."

Her fellow classmates laughed, along with the thousands of people in the audience watching them graduate.

April's baby blue eyes fell on more familiar faces spread out among the audience.

In one row sat Greg Sanders and his wife Jessica. Next to them, Warrick Brown and Catherine Willows sat with their young son, Jared.

Just last week, Warrick had told everyone with a wink, "Maybe one of these days, Cat will actually let me propose to her and make our family legal."

Catherine had simply rolled her eyes and refused to answer. But now April caught a glimpse of a diamond engagement ring on Cat's left hand.

Catherine's daughter Lindsey had her arm linked with her current boyfriend, a tall, freckle-faced redhead who went by the name of Freddy.

'Grandpa' Jim Brass occupied a seat behind them, with Greg's and Jessica's small daughter Rebecca squirming restlessly on his lap.

"High school graduation is a freedom of sorts, and hopefully it leads to happiness for everyone." April gave a gap-toothed grin at the audience and added, "I know _I'm_ happy about it."

"I wish Grissom and Sara could have been here," Nick said wistfully to his fiancée, Laurie. "They would have been so proud of their little girl."

Laurie patted Nick's arm affectionately. "You raised her well. We're all very proud of her."

April was nearing the end of her speech. "Fellow graduates, we have come a long way. No longer are we children whose biggest worry is getting cooties from our classmates. We are the future. And being the future brings a great responsibility for us."

She paused for emphasis and took a deep breath. "We have the responsibility, the honor, and the privilege of maintaining our growing, prospering world. As my wise Uncle Nick says, may we always cherish our freedom, and forever be happy. Thank you."

Applause thundered across the large, open school ground as April stepped away from the podium and joined the rest of the graduates.

"That was awesome!" her best friend Kayla said with a grin. "Best speech I ever heard."

"That was _terrifying_," April corrected, her heart pounding in her ears now that the hard part — speaking in front of a huge crowd — was finally over.

The rest of graduation passed smoothly and in no time, April was bidding her friends farewell and making promises to write letters.

"There's our graduate girl," Jerry said with a wide smile as the blue-eyed girl finally weaved her way through the crowds toward her family.

April hugged everyone in turn, ending with Nick and Laurie. "I'm going to miss you guys so much! I'll be lost at the University without you."

Laurie pulled April into a playful hug and kissed the top of her head. "Nonsense! You'll make friends at Harvard so quickly you'll forget all about us," she teased.

"You gave a beautiful speech, kiddo." Nick gently squeezed April's shoulders. "You're entirely too smart for your own good."

Lindsey entered the group with Freddy in tow. Giving her congratulations to April, she asked, "Any ideas for a career yet?"

"No definite plans yet," April answered. "But I've been seriously thinking about the FBI...maybe the Missing Persons unit or something."

She shrugged a shoulder with a grin. "I dunno, really...maybe I'll even be a CSI like my mom and dad were."


End file.
